Britney Spears Facing Battery Investigation for Allegedly Striking Employee

►Police matter. Britney Spears is under investigation over misdemeanor battery after an employee in her home alleged the singer struck her.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department confirmed to THR that Spears has been named as a suspect in a battery investigation after allegedly striking an employee during a dispute while in her home in Thousand Oaks on the morning of Aug. 16. The story.  

—"Warrants an investigation." Mike Richards’ disaster-riddled tenure as the new host of Jeopardy! started Thursday amid a call from the Anti-Defamation League for an investigation into his recently resurfaced podcast comments. The upcoming season of the daytime quiz show began filming as planned with Richards as permanent host, despite the strongly worded statement from the ADL. The story. 

—Wait, what? In a striking change for a company best known for its sexually explicit content, OnlyFans will begin banning users from posting content containing “sexually explicit conduct” this October due to requests from banking partners and payment providers. The story. 

—Oh no! The world's biggest band BTS has scrapped their upcoming Map of the Soul world tour because of insurmountable logistical difficulties related to the coronavirus pandemic. The story. 

—One and done. Peacock has canceled its Punky Brewster sequel series after one season, despite star Soleil Moon Frye and the show’s exec producers all wanting to return for additional seasons. The series is the streamer’s first half-hour comedy cancellation. The story. 

—Huge gig. THR's James Hibberd has the scoop on Hong Kong filmmaker Derek Tsang landing the coveted directing job on Netflix’s sci-fi epic The Three-Body Problem. The Better Days director will helm the drama’s first episode and help set the tone for the ambitious series. The story. 

—"Balance." The Hong Kong government defended its decision to allow Nicole Kidman to enter the city without being subject to its strict hotel quarantine, suggesting that it had “struck a balance” between helping the Oscar-winning actress and maintaining virus control amid a continued backlash against the decision. The story. 

Judge Allows 'Selena' Producer to Advance Suit Against Selena Quintanilla's Family

►Litigation. Moctesuma Esparza, the producer of the 1997 biopic Selena, has established a prima facie case that the father and sister of the late Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla violated a contract by licensing the singer’s life rights to Netflix, which allowed the streamer to make 2020's Selena: The Series. The story. 

—Devi’s coming back. Netflix has renewed its young-adult-themed comedy Never Have I Ever for a third season. The renewal comes a month after season two of the series, from co-creators Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher, premiered on the streaming giant. The story.  

—Live programming klaxon! Amazon Prime Video will stream the Academy of Country Music Awards live in 2022. The awards are moving to the streamer from their longtime home at CBS, which has aired the ACM Awards since 1998. The story. 

—Martin Henderson Appreciation Club. Netflix’s Virgin River spent its second straight week at No. 1 on Nielsen’s streaming charts, leading all other titles by a sizable margin in the week of July 19-25. The rankings.

—Negative tests. Amid rising concerns over the delta variant and a surge in virus cases in L.A. County, Creative Arts and Primetime Emmy attendees will be required to test negative for COVID-19 in addition to showing proof of vaccination for this year’s award shows. The story. 

—Icons. The Foo Fighters have been tapped to receive the Global Icon Award and perform at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards. The story. 

NATO Chief On the Continued Importance of CinemaCon 

►"Biggest existential crisis." John Fithian, the chief of the National Association of Theatre Owners, speaks to THR's Pamela McClintock about the challenges facing cinema operators and why it’s so important to hold CinemaCon this year, even though the show, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, will be a pared-down version without the usual star wattage or studio heads’ speeches. The interview. 

—Mythology. The final trailer for Marvel's epic Chloé Zhao-directed Eternals dropped yesterday and it gave us a brief look at what looks to be a rich and sprawling narrative. Richard Newby does a deep dive on the trailer that introduces audiences to the Deviants and so much more. The deep dive.   

—"I am vaccinated and I got COVID, and it’s bad." Melissa Joan Hart has revealed that has contracted COVID-19 and is experiencing symptoms, despite being vaccinated. The story. 

—"What does a second season look like?" THR's Mikey O'Connell speaks to Mare of Easttown showrunner Brad Ingelsby on the show being nominated 16 Emmys, the lessons learned on his first series, and his thoughts on the calls for a second installment of the limited series. The interview. 

—Glitzy additions. New York Film Festival has added Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipated Dune and Wes Anderson’s star-studded latest, The French Dispatch, to its lineup, adding screenings of both titles as part of its Spotlight section. The story. 

—Changing self-narratives. Michaela Coel, the Emmy-nominated multi-hyphenate star behind HBO's I May Destroy You, shares with THR her insights on social media, balancing work and play, and what it’s like to wear so many hats on a production. The interview. 

Thank Pod It's Friday

In other news...

—Film review: Nick Broomfield's Last Man Standing. 

—Film review: Maggie Q and Michael Keaton in The Protege.

—TV review: HBO Max's Eyes on the Prize: Hallowed Ground.

—TV review: HBO’s Spike Lee docuseries NYC Epicenters 9/11 -> 2021 1/2.

—The Crown, Nomadland among Location Managers Guild Award nominees.

—Aaliyah’s One in a Million lands on streaming platforms, more music to drop in September.

—Zhang Yimou’s One Second to open San Sebastian Film Festival.

—Adobe to acquire Frame.io in deal valued at $1.28b.

—Broadcast networks make small gains in July, Nielsen finds.

—Foundation trailer: First full look at Apple TV+’s sci-fi epic.

—Facebook engaged in “buy-or-bury” scheme to beat competition, FTC says.

—Julie Jarmon returns to Freeform in senior development role.

—Connie Britton recalls waiting for spirits with The White Lotus co-star Jennifer Coolidge.

—Ava DuVernay’s Home Sweet Home lands fall berth on NBC.

—Netflix drops trailer for Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali documentary Blood Brothers.

What else we're reading...

—"The Metaverse Looks Like Hell" [New York Magazine]

—"Sweetheart Deals and Plastic Knives: All the Best Emails From the Apple vs. Epic Trial" [The Verge]

—"Are You Ready for Sentient Disney Robots?" [New York Times]

—"The Far Side Returns to a Weird World" [New Yorker]

—"Rupert Murdoch Sells Failed Website Knewz to Trashy Tabloid King Dylan Howard" [Daily Beast]

Today... 

... 1993, Universal unveiled John Woo’s R-rated action thriller Hard Target, starring a mulleted Jean-Claude Van Damme, in theaters. The film, Woo's Hollywood debut after building a cult following with his high-octane Hong Kong action movies, would go on to gross $74 million. The original review.

Today's birthdays: Amy Adams (47), Demi Lovato (29), Ben Barnes (40), Andrew Garfield (38), Ke Huy Quan (50), Laura Donnelly (39), Joan Allen (65), James Marsters (59), Fred Durst (51), David Walliams (50), Peter Adrian Sudarso (30), Randeep Hooda (45), Misha Collins (47)